For most retailers, swimwear is a seasonal item which isn't all that popular in late January.

But that is not the case with T1 Swim Shop in West Reading. The store carries quality name-brand swimwear designed for professional swimmers.

It's not the apparel you would wear to the beach.

Selling professional swimwear is a niche owner Jason Hugg, 26, of Reading discovered in 2011 when he first started selling through a website.

And the idea was popular enough to open a storefront in Kenhorst.

As a result of continued growth, Hugg moved the store to Penn Avenue in West Reading in October.

"The store in Kenhorst was a good starter location for us," Hugg said. "But with this move, we have been able to pick up brands such as Dolfin Swimwear and Speedo."

Hugg manages the store with his fiancee, Ashley Vincent, 24, of Reading.

As the store now is in prime retail space, Hugg said he is poised to become the place to go for professional swimwear.

"This gives us more notoriety with people in the community who swim," he said. "A lot more of the local swim teams having been coming here. Having the major brands carries a lot of weight."

Although sporting goods stores carry professional swimwear, Hugg said his is the only store dedicated to the sport in Berks County.

The story of the swimwear store began a few years ago when Hugg was pursuing a criminal justice degree from Alvernia University.

At that time Hugg had started an online business selling professional apparel for swimmers, cyclists and runners.

He started attending triathlons to promote his website.

It was at those events that he realized there were no professional swimwear shops to support the swimmers, even though numerous bike shops attended to support cyclists.

Hugg began to focus on professional swimwear but quickly learned that to carry the big recognizable brand names, those companies required him to have a brick-and-mortar location.

With increase sales from his website, he was able to open a 700-square-foot store in Kenhorst in summer 2011. That store was called Factory Swimwear.

The business has continued to grow, and the demand led him to seek a site in West Reading.

Hugg found a 1,500-square-foot location that piqued his interest. The storefront was adjacent to A Running Start, a store which deals in custom-fit, name-brand running shoes and technical apparel.

Hugg spoke to store owner Sorita Averill-Fitzgerald about locating a professional swimwear shop next to the shop dedicated to running.

It turned out to be a natural fit.

"Swimming and running fit well together, since we both focus on triathlons," said Hugg, whose store's name is associated with triathlons. "We work with A Running Start and have even shared our store spaces to host events."

When Hugg made the move to Penn Avenue, he changed the name of his business to T1 Swim Shop.

"We wanted to focus our brand on being triathlon specific," he said.

Last summer, Hugg hosted the first Reading Kids Triathlon in Reading's Schlegel Park. He plans to continue the triathlon as an annual event and continue to get involved with other similar events.

"I have found there is a big community of people interested in getting into swimming as a sport," Hugg said. "It is a big help to them to have a store which is knowledgeable in this specific area."

Because he is on the pedestrian-heavy avenue, Hugg said when the warm weather approaches, he will carry a limited inventory of seasonal swimming-related items.

"I am very surprised at the success of this business," Hugg said. "I never thought it would grow into something where we could be on Penn Avenue."